During this season of Lent, we have heard Jesus speak in the parable of the barren fig tree and, just this past Sunday, the parable of the prodigal son.
Did you know that the purpose of a parable is to cover the real meaning behind the story, so that only those who are capable of understanding it, or
willing to put forth enough effort to find the meaning will do so?
This effort or ability is literally a type of spiritual test to sift away those who do not care about the significance of the teaching, because that concern (or lack thereof) is truly an outward sign of the heart or ‘spiritual fortitude’ of the person.
When asked by the disciples why Jesus spoke in parables, or stories, (from The Message, Matthew 13: 10-17)
11-15 He replied, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn’t been given to them.
Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears.
That’s why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward a welcome awakening. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they’re blue in the face and not get it. I don’t want Isaiah’s forecast repeated all over again:
He then goes on to repeat Isaiah’s prophesy: (again The Message)
Your ears are open but you don’t hear a thing.
Your eyes are awake but you don’t see a thing.
The people are stupid!
They stick their fingers in their ears
so they won’t have to listen;
They screw their eyes shut
so they won’t have to look,
so they won’t have to deal with me face-to-face
and let me heal them.
16-17 “But you have God-blessed eyes—eyes that see! And God-blessed ears—ears that hear! A lot of people, prophets and humble believers among them, would have given anything to see what you are seeing, to hear what you are hearing, but never had the chance.
So, there it is. I have found, over the years, that quite often we do not understand why Jesus chose to tell stories in the way that he did and that, knowing the answer can be so helpful in our desire to both understand and to follow his path as disciples on the Lenten journey.
In peace
Pastor Beryl, DLM